A few weeks ago, during Seth Godin’s Leadership Workshop, I was introduced to Rule Number 6. Benjamin Zander, the man who coined the term, does a great job of explaining the rule here:

Every day something happens in our lives that threatens to destroy everything. When these inevitable fires occur we can either respond calmly and rationally or we can allow our lizard brain to kick in and start yelling and screaming. There is zero evidence that responding with fear and seriousness will help you to make a better decision. Getting all worked up rarely improves your situation, so don’t take yourself so seriously.

Your choice in how you respond will set the tone for the rest of your organization. You can choose to build an organization that responds to the loudest (most fearful) voice or you can choose to build an organization where people rationally address problems. By not taking yourself so seriously you’ll build a culture that is Ok with pushing new boundaries.